- Smoking and vaping are harmful: the harms of smoking and vaping are well-documented, as is their impact on cardiovascular health. Tobacco smoke increases the risk of death from cardiovascular disease up to three times [1], and smoking remains one of the most preventable causes of cardiovascular-related deaths worldwide [2]. For emerging products, available evidence demonstrates that inhaled aerosol containing nicotine has an acute impact on vascular and pulmonary functions [3] [4].
- New products must be regulated carefully: the application of the precautionary principle to emerging products regulation aligns with the recommendations of the World Heart Federation to protect the general population from second-hand smoke of electronic cigarettes by prohibiting their use anywhere tobacco cigarettes have been banned [5]. Coherently, ESC experts have urged lawmakers to regulate e-cigarettes strongly or forbid their use, and to raise awareness of their potential adverse effects on human health until definitive evidence is available [6].
- The risks of vapes may outweigh their benefits: the popularity of emerging products among the youth, added to the risk of uptake of conventional cigarettes by children/youth using e-cigarettes, are not balanced by a clear positive effect of e-cigarettes on net smoking at population level [7].
Considering these factors, the ESC expresses concern for the calls raised by some political parties and stakeholders to adopt a “harm reduction” approach, consisting in adopting lighter restrictions for emerging products.